Song of the Day: The Happening by The Supremes


Today is Faye Dunaway’s birthday and today’s song of the day is The Happening, which was the theme song of Dunaway’s first movie, 1966’s The Happening!  Faye played a hippie who, with George Maharis and Michael Parks, kidnapped Anthony Quinn.  The film wasn’t a hit but the song was.

Here are The Supremes with The Happening.

Hey, life, look at me
I can see the reality
‘Cause when you shook me, took me out of my world
I woke up
Suddenly I just woke up to the happening
When you find that you left the future behind
‘Cause when you got a tender love
You don’t take care of
Then you better beware of the happening

One day you’re up, then you turn around
You find your world is tumbling down
It happened to me, and it can happen to you

I was sure, I felt secure
Until love took a detour
Yeah, riding high on top of the world
It happened, suddenly it just happened
I saw my dreams fall apart
When love walked away from my heart
And when you lose that precious love you need
To guide you
Something happens inside you, the happening

Now I see life for what it is
It’s not all dreams, ooh, it’s not all bliss
It happened to me and it can happen to you

Once
Ooh, and then it happened
Ooh, and then it happened
Ooh, and then it happened
Ooh, and then it happened

Is it real, is it fake
Is this game of life a mistake?
‘Cause when I lost the love I thought was mine
For certain, suddenly I started hurting
I saw the light too late
When that fickle finger of fate
Yeah, came and broke my pretty balloon
I woke up
Suddenly I just woke up to the happening

So sure, I felt secure
Until love took a detour
‘Cause when you got a tender love you don’t
Take care of, then you better beware of

Songwriters: Alex Mungo / David Taylor / Jasper John Nielson Stainthorpe / Mark Robert Tiplady / Rob Downes / Stephen Wren

Song Of The Day: The Golden Path by The Chemical Brothers, feat. Wayne Coyne


Today the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips.  Our song of the day is The Golden Path, a collaboration between Wayne and The Chemical Brothers.

 

As I walked along
The supposed golden path
I was confronted
By mysterious spectre
He pointed to the graveyard
Over on yonder hill
I paused in cosmic reflection
Confused on wondering
Of how I came to die

Hm!
I was confused
Coz if I was dead
How and why did I die
And I composed myself
And decided I should face it

Then I stood paralyzed
On the supposed golden path
And I was confronted
By powerful demon force
And there was the devil
And we spoke his words
Flowed like glowing lava from the mouth of a volcano
And I said:
Help me, Lord!!
I found myself in some kinda hell
But I did not believe in heaven and hell
World in opposites kind of reality

But I gained control of myself
And decided to press on

As I walked along
The supposed golden path
I was trembling with fear
All the lions and the wizards yet to come
I seen in the distance
Silver mountains rising high in the clouds
And a voice from above did whisper
Some shining answer from the moon

Please forgive me
I never meant to hurt you

Songwriters: Edmund John Simons / Steven Gregory Drozd / Thomas Owen Mostyn Rowlands / Wayne Michael Coyne

Song of the Day: Goldfinger (performed by Shirley Bassey)


Goldfinger (1964, dir by Guy Hamilton)

It’s Shirley Eaton’s birthday!

Shirley Eaton has since retired but she had a busy acting and singing career in the 1960s.  Her best-know role was playing the ill-fated Jill Masterson in the 1964 Bond film, Goldfinger.  She was the one who ended up getting suffocated in gold paint after helping Bond expose Goldfinger as a card cheat.

It seems appropriate, therefore, that today’s song of the day should be that film’s title tune.  Enjoy Goldfinger, performed by the great Shirley Bassey.

Goldfinger, he’s the man
The man with the midas touch
A spider’s touch
Such a cold finger
Beckons you to enter his web of sin
But don’t go in

Golden words he will pour in your ear
But his lies can’t disguise what you fear
For a golden girl knows when he’s kissed her
It’s the kiss of death from Mister Goldfinger
Pretty girl, beware of his heart of gold
This heart is cold

Golden words he will pour in your ear
But his lies can’t disguise what you fear
For a golden girl knows when he’s kissed her
It’s the kiss of death from Mister Goldfinger
Pretty girl, beware of his heart of gold
This heart is cold

He loves only gold
Only gold
He loves gold
He loves only gold
Only gold
He loves gold

Songwriters: Tim Wheeler

Song of the Day: Leave Home by The Chemical Brothers


Today’s song of the day better get you dancing!

The footage in the video below comes from a 1983 film called Koyaanisqatsi.  That film featured a soundtrack by Philip Glass.  The song is from The Chemical Brother’s first single off of their debut album, Exit Planet Dust.

Song of the Day: Kashmir by Led Zeppelin (Happy birthday, Jimmy Page)


Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 81st birthday to the one and only Jimmy Page!

In honor of one of the world’s greatest guitarists, today’s song of the day is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs that I like.  Page originally came up with the lyrics for the song while driving through Morocco but clearly, Kashmir was a better title.

Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face
And stars fill my dream
I’m a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been
To sit with elders of the gentle race
This world has seldom seen
They talk of days for which they sit and wait
All will be revealed

Talk in song from tongues of lilting grace
Sounds caress my ear
And not a word I heard could I relate
The story was quite clear

Oh, baby, I been blind
Oh, yeah, mama, there ain’t no denyin’
Oh, ooh yes, I been blind
Mama, mama, ain’t no denyin’, no denyin’

All I see turns to brown
As the sun burns the ground
And my eyes fill with sand
As I scan this wasted land
Try to find, try to find the way I feel

Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace
Like sorts inside a dream
Leave the path that led me to that place
Yellow desert stream
My shangri la beneath the summer moon
I will return again
As the dust that floats high in June
We’re moving through Kashmir

Oh, father of the four winds fill my sails
Cross the sea of years
With no provision but an open face
Along the straits of fear
Oh, when I want, when I’m on my way, yeah
And my feet wear my fickle way to stay

Ooh, yeah yeah, oh, yeah yeah,
But I’m down oh, yeah yeah, oh, yeah
Yeah, but I’m down, so down
Ooh, my baby, oh, my baby
Let me take you there
Come on, oh let me take you there
Let me take you there

Songwriters: James Patrick (Jimmy) Page / John Bonham / Robert Anthony Plant

Song of the Day: Heroes by David Bowie


For today’s song of the day, we have my favorite David Bowie song, HeroesHeroes was also featured in one of my favorite downbeat movies, 1981’s Christiane F.

I, I will be king
And you, you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can beat them, just for one day
We can be heroes, just for one day

And you, you can be mean
And I, I’ll drink all the time
‘Cause we’re lovers, and that is a fact
Yes we’re lovers, and that is that
Though nothing will keep us together
We could steal time just for one day
We can be heroes for ever and ever
What d’you say?

I, I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim
Though nothing, nothing will keep us together
We can beat them, for ever and ever
Oh we can be Heroes, just for one day

I, I will be king
And you, you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be Heroes, just for one day
We can be us, just for one day

I, I can remember (I remember)
Standing, by the wall (by the wall)
And the guns, shot above our heads (over our heads)
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall)
And the shame, was on the other side
Oh we can beat them, for ever and ever
Then we could be Heroes, just for one day

We can be Heroes
We can be Heroes
We can be Heroes
Just for one day
We can be Heroes

We’re nothing, and nothing will help us
Maybe we’re lying, then you better not stay
But we could be safer, just for one day

Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh, just for one day

Songwriters: Brian Eno / David Bowie

Song of the Day: The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News


Since we’re in a Back to the Future sort of mood at the site today, today’s song of the day is an obvious one.  Here is The Power of Love, by Huey Lewis and the News!

The power of love is a curious thing
Make a one man weep, make another man sing
Change a hawk to a little white dove
More than a feeling, that’s the power of love

Tougher than diamonds, rich like cream
Stronger and harder than a bad girl’s dream
Make a bad one good, mm, make a wrong one right
Power of love that keep you home at night

You don’t need money, don’t take fame
Don’t need no credit card to ride this train
It’s strong and it’s sudden, and it’s cruel sometimes
But it might just save your life
That’s the power of love
That’s the power of love

First time you feel it, it might make you sad
Next time you feel it, it might make you mad
But you’ll be glad, baby, when you’ve found
That’s the power makes the world go ’round

And it don’t take money, don’t take fame
Don’t need no credit card to ride this train
It’s strong and it’s sudden, it can be cruel sometimes
But it might just save your life

They say that all in love is fair
Yeah, but you don’t care (ooh)
But you know what to do (what to do)
When it gets hold of you
And with a little help from above
You feel the power of love
You feel the power of love
Can you feel it?
Hm-hm

It don’t take money, and it don’t take fame
Don’t need no credit card to ride this train
Tougher than diamonds and stronger than steel
But you won’t feel nothin’ ’til you feel

You feel the power, just feel the power of love
That’s the power, mm, that’s the power of love
You feel the power of love
You feel the power of love
Feel the power of love

Songwriters: Huey Lewis / John Victor Colla / Christopher John Hayes

Song of the Day: The Godfather by Nino Rota


Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to both Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton!

Along with being two of America’s best actors, Duvall and Keaton also co-starred in the first two Godfather films.  They didn’t share many scenes in the second film (though there was at least one Duvall/Keaton scene that was filmed but not included in the final film) but, in the first film, they have a memorable moment in which Keaton (as Kay) asks Duvall’s Tom Hagen to send a letter to Michael in Sicily.  Hagen politely refuses.  When Kay notices a car that has obviously been bombed, Tom replies with bland good cheer, “Oh, that was an accident.  Luckily, no one was hurt!”

In honor of these two amazing performers and my favorite movie of all time, today’s song of the day is Nino Rota’s theme from The Godfather.

Song of the Day: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex


Since today is director Harmony Korine’s birthday, I decided that today’s song of the day should be one that was used quite memorably in Korine’s best film, 2013’s Spring Breakers.  From Skrillex, here is Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites!